The "Black and White" coalition demands that certain positions in the future government, especially those related to the security sector, be occupied by people who are XNUMX% loyal to this country and will not deviate from that even a millimeter, said the leader of that alliance and GP URA, Dritan Abazović.
He said in an interview with "Vijesta" that the concept was fully agreed upon between him and the mandate for the composition of the new government, Zdravko Krivokapić, that the heads of the National Security Agency (ANB) and the Police Directorate should be professionals, that is, not people who are politically colored or clearly political members certain groups.
He also says that such solutions have the support of the international community.
Is there a concrete agreement on the division of portfolios in the future government?
We must be satisfied that the procedure for awarding the mandate to Mr. Krivokapić and that the conditions for the formation of the first democratic government in the history of Montenegro since the existence of multi-party system are being met. That formality has been completed and we will follow the plan that the mandate holder has to arrive at the final names and composition of the new government in about seven iterations.
Currently, a process is underway in which the preferences of all participants in the future government will be expressed, and we will discuss the specific names next week. According to my knowledge, we have several candidates for certain positions, which is good, because it increases competitiveness. For the first time, we have the appearance of people who are not direct actors of political life, which was the request of GP URA in the pre-election campaign to have experts and people with enviable biographies who applied for certain positions, and as for me, I would like to see as many new faces as possible in To the Government of Montenegro. I had the opportunity to see that in Sarajevo Canton they presented the model of expert government as the best for overcoming the political crisis, so this is now a value that goes beyond our borders and we should stick to it. If the question is whether there should be politicians in the government, it is certain that there will be, and this is not a violation of the principle of expertise, because there are people in politics who are proven experts in certain fields, but I expect the new government to bring new values to get rid of party influence and strong party militarism that did not bring results and to show a certain degree of breadth for citizens who are in Montenegro or outside of it, and who can help with their expertise. I expect that everything will be defined in the next month, but at this moment we should all be satisfied with the dynamics of the conversation.
Which departments within the new government is URA interested in?
The "Black on White" coalition has some preferences, it has people who can practically cover all portfolios. But we are correct here and all the talk that we are engaged in blackmail politics is not appropriate. We have an obligation to the citizens to protect the interests of the state, and we will not budge a millimeter from that. We are not asking for ourselves, but for people who are XNUMX% loyal to this country to hold certain positions, especially those related to the security sector. We have a surprisingly large support and understanding of the international community for such a policy. Not wanting to disparage anyone, or express a negative opinion towards the policies of other coalition partners, I think that we are the only party that was openly in favor of the Euro-Atlantic path of Montenegro. The position of prime minister was handed over to the "Black on White" coalition with great pleasure by Mr. Krivokapić, the holder of the "For the future of Montenegro" list, which won the greatest support of the citizens and also voted with great pleasure for Aleksa Bečić to be elected as the President of the Assembly.
If for someone it is blackmail that the third coalition partner is asking for something, not for himself but in order to protect the national interests of Montenegro, then I consider it incorrect. I will not talk about specific ministries, but the conception between me and Mr. Krivokapić that the heads of the National Security Agency and the Police Directorate should be professionals, that is, not people who are politically colored or clear political members of certain groups. I wouldn't talk about which departments we are talking about now, because that would make negotiations more difficult, but it is clear which departments we are talking about.
Did you discuss the division of portfolios with European Commissioner Oliver Varhelji?
Yes. We had a very constructive meeting and there are three important things we agreed on that evening: the first is for the government to get a pro-European image, regardless of all the attempts of the previous government to portray us as an anti-European element. That is not going to happen, and we have achieved great agreement and received strong support from the commissioner that the door of the EU will be wide open.
The second thing concerned investments and our difficult economic situation and the influence that some other superpowers have on Montenegro. And there we managed to find a common solution and that part of the meeting was the most productive, because we talked about specific infrastructure projects and debts, loan restructuring and for the highway and other projects with the help of European institutions.
The third thing we discussed at the meeting is the issue of the security sector. And there we achieved a great understanding, so the meeting, as a preliminary, dispelled any doubt that this government will not have the support of the EU. They are very much looking forward to the cooperation and I think that the level of corruption, which was a big problem in Montenegro in the previous period, will be significantly reduced and that the government will make great strides in Chapters 23 and 24.
Were there any suggestions and remarks about existing investors?
Yes, but we cannot talk about the details of the meeting because it would be diplomatically unacceptable and incorrect towards the other side, but investors and the impact on the overall GDP were also mentioned, as well as a greater willingness to provide aid to the Western Balkans through the aid package and the fund designed for the Western Balkans. The Balkans should try to exhaust as many investments as possible in order to reduce the influence of other power centers and to increase the influence of European politics. We are ready to work on it. Some of the infrastructure projects that have been mentioned are really of great importance to me. They concern road infrastructure and regional connectivity. It will be a big "bust" for our tourism, but also for our economy in general, and we will get much better conditions than before. What we have done with the highway is a big noose around the neck and it will be a big challenge for the future government.
A few more segments have been contracted that are extremely important for GP URA, and they concern the green economy. We want to really promote Montenegro as an ecological country, and this was also expressed by the future prime minister, and that is why we will especially have the sympathy of the EU if we really use that postulate and if we work on that project which provides immense opportunities and can be the biggest incentive concerns our not only regional but also global recognition.
Does this mean that you will advocate for the protection of Sinjajevina?
All projects that permanently devastate our nature and therefore do great harm to our natural resources should be stopped.
As for our coalition, we will not give up on our green agenda, I consider that an advantage of Montenegro. One of the first decisions of the new government, and many "first" decisions await us, is the ban on further construction of MHP and the revision of all concession arrangements. I think something similar will happen with Sinjajevina. If our soldiers need training, and they probably do, there are two solutions. I have already found two in order to compensate for something that was supposed to be done in Sinjajevina, I would not like to present them publicly now.
Do you have information that the outgoing Government is rapidly emptying the budget and that the budget reserve has already been used up?
We have information about mass recruitment of people in the public administration. It would be very incorrect to say that I am against the employment of people, but this way of doing it is really inappropriate and I know that the Ministry of Finance gives approvals for hiring certain people, especially for some local governments that are in big financial problems. I appeal that this should not be done and I call on the Minister of Finance Darko Radunović to prevent us from starting a process against him in the future because it is extremely unnecessary. If there is a need for new jobs, they should be opened by the new government. If there is a need for people to help the public administration, I think the new administration should do it. I think that the capacities of the previous administration have been exhausted, and if someone, despite everything, wants to fulfill some political commitments that he took before the election, he should bear the responsibility. I don't want to announce anything, but many things are properly recorded and nobody should be surprised if a process is started against someone, because it has nothing to do with revenge, but with a common-sense attitude towards the budget of Montenegro, which was already totally devastated by bad decisions of the Government in the previous period.
People are afraid that they will not get their salaries and pensions when the new government is formed. Have you already started negotiations with creditors?
Yes, we have already conducted part of the negotiations with Commissioner Varhelji. The reason why we need to form a government as soon as possible is precisely that we could enter into arrangements with financial institutions to ensure the sustainability of our financial system. I think that will happen, and in the medium term we should think about how to fill the domestic coffers. One part of the plan that specifically concerns the fight against corruption and organized crime is already ready and part of the legal solutions that we announced earlier is already ready, and one part needs to be drafted. I speak on behalf of my coalition - we have created a group of lawyers that works every day. There are six eminent lawyers who are not our members, who work every day to search for the best legal solutions in relation to the segments of the fight against corruption and better tax collection, as well as proving the origin of assets, lustration... so this is something that we will have to do in the medium term we solve.
I expect that despite the difficulties we have, we will manage to service our obligations on time. This is not happening to us because of the new government, but because of the old one, because of a totally inappropriate and arrogant attitude towards the state budget. We must put an end to the bragging of public officials and people close to the authorities. That will have to be the priority of this government, this government must be everything that the previous one was not when it comes to economic policy. We need to be both rational and humble and much more honest, efficient and act in accordance with the capabilities of our country.
We cannot pretend that we are Kuwait, and that the economy is at the level of some underdeveloped African countries. We have to adjust so that we can spend what we earn.
How, in your opinion, should the problem related to the Law on Freedom of Religion be solved?
The current law should be resolved in a way that is acceptable to all religious communities. We have the best and most efficient solution that will solve the problem as soon as possible. According to our information, this is also acceptable to the Metropolis, and their expert team also spoke about it.
The "Black on White" coalition and URA want a European and anti-discrimination law and that all religious communities have the same status. This also means that no organization can be outside the legal order or above the state of Montenegro.
If we go into writing a new law, we will lose a year or two. If we are going to amend it, we can do it very quickly and efficiently, considering that several articles are known to be controversial. I heard the statements of colleagues from the new majority and the DPS that they protested that we were adjusting something to the MCP. These are nonsense and cheap manipulations. We adapt exclusively to European norms and work to ensure that discriminatory norms against anyone do not exist in the amended legal solution.
I agree with the statement of Mr. Krivokapić that when this law was written, there was a bad intention. The new government should erase that bad intention and show good intention towards all religious communities in Montenegro.
After the election, URA doubled its membership
Is it true that a number of members from SDP moved to GP URA?
After the election, URA doubled its membership. I did not expect that in such a short period of time after the election, so many people would join GP URA. Anyone who wants to come is more than welcome. We will not close the door to anyone, regardless of whether he was a member of a certain party in an earlier period. It is true that I also had conversations with some people whom I have known for a long time, who are my colleagues and friends, and who, due to circumstances, belonged to other political options. I don't see anything wrong with that and their interest in being part of the common fight for a better and fairer Montenegro. I never had the desire for some parties to collapse in order for others to profit, but I am personally responsible for the work of our coalition and party, and let others be responsible for the results of their parties and coalitions.
We must open all institutions to see the "blood picture of Montenegro"
Will the new government deal with the Law on Free Access to Information and generally declaring information secret?
It would be a tragedy if we continued the same policy of relations with the media, the NGO sector and the secrecy of the sub-channels as was done by the previous government. It would be my great personal and political defeat if we treat people who fight for the public word like this. I would like the new government to incorporate one measure from our pre-election program, which is to introduce an open budget system, to have online access to the state treasury, so that citizens can see every payment and payment. It's government money, I don't know why anyone would feel the need to hide what was paid and what was received.
As for the SPI Act, it should be liberalized and taken a step further. Many institutions need to undergo an audit. There will be a lot of work there and people from the NGO sector and the media will be of great use to us. We must open all institutions to the public, so that we can see the "blood picture of Montenegro".
They present themselves as trade unionists, and they each have six apartments
How do you view the recently held secret meeting between the top police and outgoing Prime Minister Duško Marković?
As for the Police Department, I have seen media reports that they had a meeting and read a statement from the union that they allegedly do not want to carry out the orders of the future government. I would not excite the public with that, we will be guided by the practice of absolute respect for the law, but we will reach out to those people who present themselves as trade unionists and have six apartments each. The situation is very clear and when the public learns a few facts, it will be very favorable to the new government and very willing to work in accordance with the constitution and the law, and very unwilling to defend the orders of people who have paid well by performing certain functions, not in accordance with the law but in accordance with the orders of certain centers of power.
No one is stronger than the state and my basic message is that the state will know how to deal with those who think they are creating some parallel systems and prevent Montenegro from joining the ranks of serious European states.
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